by Blaz Zgaga, Special for USA TODAY

by Blaz Zgaga, Special for USA TODAY

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia â?? Slovenia, prosperous and stable for years following its liberation from dictatorship and entry into the European Union, is in revolt.

Corruption and the European debt crisis are at the root of the rebellion, but what sent people into the streets were traffic cameras.

"The time has come for us to show we have enough," said entrepreneur Ksenja Pucher, 49. "The (politicians) behave like we are puppets. They think we don't know what is really going on, but we have a message for them â?? it's over."

Tens of thousands of Slovenes have taken part in organized protests, including students, workers, academics and those who helped establish the country's independence more than 20 years ago. They've shut down schools, theaters, hospitals and border crossings, and they plan to do so again next week.

Slovenes had been complaining for months about corrupt politicians living well while people were subject to austerity measures, such as benefits cuts and higher taxes, to accommodate deficit targets of the debt-laden European Union.

The grousing turned to furor and protest on Oct. 16 after recently installed speed cameras began issuing fines equaling up to one-third of the average Slovenian monthly salary. Outraged residents of Slovenia's second-largest city, Maribor, set fire to the cameras. Many were convinced the fines were benefiting cronies of Maribor Mayor Franc Kangler.

Protesters in this tiny nation of 2 million people tucked into a corner of the Adriatic Sea east of Italy have already forced out several officeholders and are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Janez Jansa, once a revolutionary himself.

Demonstrators say they are fed up with Jansa's cronies in parliament and on local councils who they accuse of enriching themselves at the expense of the people. Jansa insists he will stay on unless removed in a no-confidence vote in parliament. He claimed recently that "Slovenia cannot afford to hold early elections at this point."

All of this comes as a bit of a shock to some.

Slovenia was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia after World War II, when the then-communist Soviet Union controlled much of Eastern Europe. In 1991, like many countries in the region, Slovenia declared independence.

While other formerly communist countries experienced economic depression during their transition to free-market economies, Slovenia strode ahead. It joined NATO, the U.S.-led military alliance, and became the first formerly communist country to adopt the euro as its currency. In 2010, Slovenia joined the OECD, a global union of high-income developed countries.

It prospered and remained politically stable, avoiding the wars that plagued the Balkans in the 1990s.

However, like other nations given access to the AAA credit rating of the euro, it racked up tremendous amounts of debt to finance improvements and government growth.

"In 2005, a period of gambling and loan addiction began â?? it skyrocketed specifically in 2007 when Slovenia joined the Eurozone," said Joze Mencinger, an economics professor at the University of Ljubljana. "It ended in unprecedented indebtedness."

During the first three quarters of 2012, the Slovenian economy shrunk by 2.2%. Many Slovenian companies have gone bankrupt and an EU bailout has been discussed.

Jansa warned of a "national bankruptcy" in pushing for austerity measures that slashed wages and spending. But many Slovenes believe the government has mismanaged the economy, experts say.

"There has been very deep disappointment," economist Francek Drenovec said. "You could see this turning into anger â?? it was only a matter of time before something would trigger off an outburst."

Protesting Slovenes see a culture of corruption in Slovenia that must be swept out.

Jansa is on trial along with other members of his government on charges that his political party, the SDS, took kickbacks from weapons' contracts from the Finnish company Patria. Jansa has pleaded not guilty. The leader of the opposition, Zoran Jankovic, mayor of the Slovenia capital of Ljubljana, has been indicted on corruption charges, too.

"A very narrow elite has taken over the whole economy and the society," sociology professor at the University of Primorska Urban Vehovar said. "We need to break up (these nepotistic) connections, if we wish to have a normal existence."

On Jan. 8, the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption reported that both Jansa and Jankovic were unable to explain huge increases of hundreds of thousands of euros in their personal wealth. Still, there have been few resignations.

Even several prosecutors and judges who are tasked with rooting out the corruption are themselves facing corruption charges. Special prosecutors looking into allegations against the ruling party complain that their probes are hampered by the refusal of lawmakers to fund their departments properly.

"It looks to me that we are a society marked by widespread economic criminality," top state prosecutor Zvonko Fiser told the Slovene Press Agency. "And yet how much money was invested to initiate work of this department? I can tell you that they invested zero euros."

All of which means protesters will be back in the streets soon. The protests forced Mayor Kangler to resign last month. Some Slovenes say they will not stop demonstrating until the entire government collapses.

"It is high time something is done to change the political system," said Samo Penic, 32, a scientist. "We have known for a long time that something is very wrong with it."